I got a phone call yesterday from the brother of a good friend. He was asking about rental properties and I was confused. I asked why he was looking at rentals…what happened to his house? You guessed it. It was foreclosed on the day before. This was my reaction:

I wanted to just scream, NOOOOOOO!

One of the most frustrating parts of my job right now is homeowners who are in distress and don’t know their options. It’s not their fault for the most part. Sure, there are those who get stuck in denial and just freeze but so often homeowner just don’t know where to go for help. Who can they trust? Are they going to get scammed out of more money? Will the lender harass them to no end?

In my experience the many of the lenders are being fairly helpful. I’m actually being sent out by the banks in some instances to try to make contact with homeowners. You know what my biggest hurdle is? They won’t talk to me. I knocked on a door yesterday and someone called out, “Who’s there?” I answered and she wouldn’t make any additional contact with me. I stood there for several minutes and had to just leave. Leave without being able to tell her that the bank wants to offer her a loan modification. They can’t help if no one will talk to them.

PLEASE HEAR MY PLEA:

If you know of someone, ANYONE who is behind in their mortgage payments or having a hard time making their payments please encourage them to seek assistance. It’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. There are several alternatives to foreclosure and all most importantly there are options.